Interrogation
by HeidiT
Summary: After the events of series 2 episode 8, Gene Hunt is arrested.During the interview that follows, he reveals more than he ever intended. Rated T because Gene is Gene! Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This is my first ever Ashes to Ashes fanfic. I actually wrote it in my very 1980s Filofax straight after series 2 episode 8 aired. Four months later, I've managed to type it up! Obviously, spoilers for series 2 episode 8. **

**Disclaimer-Sadly, I don't own Ashes to Ashes!**

So much for being on the lam! Gene Hunt was leaving the hospital when he was arrested for the attempted murder of Detective Inspector Alexandra Drake. Gene realised that he'd never thought of his DI as 'Alexandra'. She was 'Bolly' or 'Drake' or 'Drakey' and occasionally even 'Alex'. He'd been at the hospital, desperately trying to get Bolly to wake up. Cajoling, coaxing, even shouting at and shaking her hadn't worked. She just lay there, pale and still. He was exhausted, not having slept since _it_ had happened

"DCI Hunt?" the officer's voice cut across Gene's reflections. They were now back at the station. Gene had met DCI Collins before and had considered him to be a jumped up twat. Collins had only been a DCI for five minutes!

"You've been arrested for the attempted murder of DI Drake, Hunt. The way things are looking at the moment, the charge could easily become murder."

"I'm not in the 'abit of murdering my DIs. It was an accident!" Gene knew how pathetic that must sound. "Jenette 'ad DI Drake at gunpoint. I was aiming for Jenette!"

"Ah yes! The mysterious Jenette Rivens. We've checked out the information you gave us and you know what? She doesn't exist. She's just a figment of your imagination. An imaginary construct."

'Bloody 'ell' thought Gene, 'he sounds just like Bolly!'

"She must be using an alias, then. She was there!" Gene replied

"No, Hunt. It was just you and DI Drake. Twenty four hours before she was shot, thirteen witnesses heard you threaten her life. I quote 'if you dare to get in my way, I swear to God, I will kill you!' Pretty unambiguous, wouldn't you say? Then, on the day of the incident in question, your officers arrive at the scene to find you holding a smoking gun and your DI lying on the ground, having been shot."

"That is circumstantial evidence." Gene's solicitor, Phillips, intervened. It was a valiant attempt, but Gene knew that he, himself, had got some of the scum of the earth put away on less evidence than there was against him.

"I was not trying to kill Drake!" Gene burst out "At the time, I thought she'd betrayed me, gone bent. I was angry. If I'd been trying to kill her, I wouldn't 'ave shot her in the gut and she would actually be dead now!"

Phillips closed his eyes briefly and Gene realised how that must have sounded. Although he was taking the whole attempted murder charge seriously, he found that he didn't really care what his solicitor or the other DCI in the room thought. The most important thing was Bolly and what would happen if…_when_…she woke up.

"So you admit you were angry with her? Thought she'd become corrupt?" Collins was talking again. "That's a pretty good motive for attempted murder, Hunt."

"'ow many bloody times! I did not try to murder my DI!" Gene was beginning to get really frustrated.

"You can say it as many times as you like. It doesn't change the fact that she's currently in a coma, likely to die."

Gene had been responsible for a few deaths over the years, but they were all criminal filth, only likely to be mourned by their mothers. The possibility that Alex could die because of his actions was something he wasn't at all sure he'd be able to live with. Whenever he thought of her, lying in that hospital bed, he was assailed by two almost forgotten emotions. He'd tried to squash both beneath his crocodile boots, but they kept jumping out at him. One, he'd been forced to admit, was guilt, but he couldn't bring himself to even name the other one. It didn't seem right at the moment.

"I shot 'er, but I didn't _shoot_ 'er!" Gene almost seemed defeated.

"Such cryptic remarks won't help your case, Hunt. The evidence still points to you following through on your threat, when she turned up, against your orders, at the scene of the blag. She wasn't supposed to be there, you thought she'd betrayed you and you were angry with her."

"We're a team. I just didn't believe 'er when I should 'ave."

Gene couldn't help but think back to Ray's report over the radio that the bricks had been diverted down King Douglas Lane. Bolly had been right all along, but how had she known what would happen? She'd said she was from the future, but that was just Bolly being a fruitcake, wasn't it? In any case he couldn't mention it. As it was, Collins actually believing him was about as likely as Maggie Thatcher, the Great Handbag herself, being a Commie spy. If Gene told Collins that his DI thought she was from the future and Gene was even considering believing her, the men in white coats would soon be here and the straight-jacket would definitely be in his bloody size!

"As things stand you are looking at twenty-five years in the Scrubs and more if she dies. I'm sure that the people that you've put in there will give you a very warm welcome. You are almost certainly a cop-killer, Hunt." Collins looked like he was really enjoying himself.

This was going precisely nowhere! Gene felt the anger rise, like bile, in his throat again.

"If all you have against my client is this rather circumstantial evidence, I suggest we finish this interview here." Phillips shuffled his papers.

For the first time, Collins' female colleague, DS Wilis, intervened.

"How would you describe your relationship with DI Alexandra Drake, DCI Hunt?"

"We're a team", Gene repeated. "We work well together, 'olding back the tide of scum in this city."

"And as people? Not just as colleagues?"

That was a question that Gene had often tried to avoid answering, even in his own head, in the fifteen months since he'd carried Alex into CID. He supposed that he and Bolly were friends; at least they had been until Operation Rose. They'd spent enough time in Luigi's, indulging in the 'house rubbish'. Gene had, on several occasions, wondered if he and Alex could be more than friends. The pure physical attraction he'd felt when she'd first arrived had certainly changed into a deeper feeling and sometimes he thought he saw something in her eyes when she looked at him that wasn't there when she was talking to Ray, Chris or Viv. When Gene had confessed that he knew that Supermac was corrupt, he had thought Bolly was going to….Bloody 'ell! Thinking about feelings! Was he really becoming such a soft, southern, poof?

"We're friends. We 'ave a connection." Gene almost instantly regretted using that particular word. The last time it had passed his lips was just before he'd suspended Alex and everything had gone so badly wrong.

"But in spite of that, or maybe because of it, you shot Alex Drake, since you thought she'd betrayed you!" Collins was speaking again.

"No! For the millionth time, I was not trying to kill 'er! I would never, ever try to kill 'er!" Gene was on his feet now, leaning forward with both fists on the table. He was absolutely furious.

Collins was also on his feet "Why not? Why wouldn't you try to kill her?"

"Because I bloody love 'er!"

Gene sat down abruptly .Had he actually just admitted, out loud, that he was in love with his DI? Judging by the stunned looks on the faces of Willis and Collins, not to mention Philips, his solicitor, it seemed that he had! Shit!

**So what did you think? Thank you for reading. Reviews are much appreciated**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Originally, I'd intended that this story should be a one-shot. I was delighted by the wonderful response it got and so many of my lovely reviewers wanted me to continue with it, that I thought I'd give it a go. It seems to have taken on a life of its own now, so there will be more chapters. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed!**

**I don't own Ashes to Ashes, I'm just borrowing some of the characters.**

After the interview, Gene was taken back to his cell. Not surprisingly, declaring that he was in love with his DI hadn't been enough to get him off the charge of attempting to murder her. Gene hadn't expected that it would. He still couldn't believe that he'd actually said those words out loud. He'd barely admitted the true extent of his feelings to himself and here he was announcing that he loved Bolly to all and bloody sundry! He'd probably told the worst person possible too. It was obvious that Collins didn't like him and Gene didn't trust the other DCI not to blab. Then the Super would find out and he could split up the team. Gene kicked the cell wall in sheer frustration. He couldn't imagine not seeing Bolly every day ….Christ on a bike! What had happened to him?

Throughout his childhood, Gene had associated the idea of love with fear and pain. His mother had refused to leave his father because she said she loved him, in spite of the regular beatings that he inflicted upon them all. Gene had drifted into marriage and it had not been a particularly happy experience for either him or his missus. His wife had finally given up and left him, two weeks after Tyler died. He hadn't been sad that his marriage had come to an end. If anything he'd been more than slightly angry that _she'd_ been the one to leave _him._

Then there was Bolly. Gene had no idea precisely when his feelings had changed from a simple desire to get into her knickers to …_that._ He did know that there was no way that the Manc Lion could let those emotions show, though. He must not be seen to be going soft or he'd lose the respect of his team. It would be a cold day in hell when he could admit it to Bolly either. Gene had thought he was doing a half decent job of covering up his feelings with sarcasm and arguments. Until now. Now it probably didn't matter anyway. If_…when…_Bolly woke up, she might not have forgiven him for shooting her. Or not believing her. Gene was not sure which was worse.

xxxx

"The Guv said _what_?" Chris was doing a pretty good impression of a goldfish and it looked as if he might fall of his chair.

"That he loves DI Drake," Shaz repeated. "Skip told me when I came in. He heard the Guv shouting, as he was passing the interview room. "

"Poof!" muttered Ray, who clearly wasn't as shocked as Chris. He was surprised that the Guv had used that particular word, but he had always known there was something different about Hunt since Drake had arrived. Ray didn't do psychiatry or whatever posh bollocks it was that Drake was such an expert at, but he had noticed the spark between the Guv and his DI when they'd arrested Arthur Layton more than a year ago. Ray had thought that Drake would twist their DCI round her little finger. That was what birds did to men, wasn't it? To be fair to Drake, though, that hadn't been the case. Well, not most of the time, anyway! Ray had had to grudgingly admit that she was a good copper. He wondered how the Guv's declaration would affect the team if…_when_…Drake came back to work. Ray forced himself not to think about what would happen if the DI didn't wake up. Not only would they lose her, but the Guv would probably be gone too; serving life for her murder, if DCI Collins had anything to do with it.

Ray and Chris had managed to see Gene, briefly, just after he was arrested the previous evening. The Manc Lion was caged and pacing the length of his cell.

"I didn't do it! Well, I did it, but it was an accident. Jenette 'ad Drake at gunpoint.."

"Jenette?" Ray asked, before he suddenly remembered whom Gene had been with in Luigi's the night before Drake was shot. "The blonde, Irish, tart?"

"That's the one." Ray clearly heard the bitterness in Gene's voice. "She was involved in Operation Rose and wanted 'er money. She was going to shoot Drake! I fired my gun and 'it Drake by accident."

Chris and Ray simply looked at each other. The evidence against the Guv seemed overwhelming, but neither of them really wanted to believe that he was capable of deliberately shooting their DI. They couldn't help but remember what had happened back in Manchester, in 1973, the last time Gene had been accused of anything as serious as this. Only Tyler had really trusted that Gene had not murdered Terry Haslam and Pete Wilkes. When Sam had helped to clear the Guv's name and he had returned to the station, Gene had given the rest of them hell for believing he was a murderer. So if their DCI said that shooting Drake had been an accident, shouldn't they believe him this time, in spite of what it looked like?

Soon after that, the Guv had been taken away to be interviewed by Collins. Over the years, Ray had learned to trust his instincts and those instincts were telling him that there was something very dodgy about DCI Collins. The DCI had not let CID conduct a proper investigation into what had happened during Operation Rose, especially the shooting of Alex Drake. This was weird, since Collins had parachuted in from the Flying Squad and investigating robberies was what they did, wasn't it? After Chris and Ray had done a few house to house enquiries in King Douglas Lane, Collins had recalled them to the station and told them that their time would be more usefully spent on other matters; like reuniting lost property with its owners!

Ray glanced at his watch. Six pm. Good.

"Lunch time!" He announced and joined the mass exodus from the station to Luigi's.

xxxx

The atmosphere in Luigi's was far more subdued than it had been before Operation Rose. Shaz noticed that the Guv and DI Drake's usual table remained empty, as if everyone expected them to burst in at any minute. She really couldn't see that happening in the near future. Earlier, Shaz had taken her turn in visiting the hospital and there was still no change in Alex's condition. The nurse told her that DI Drake was in a very deep coma, but that Shaz should not give up hope. Then there was the Guv. Chris and Ray had told Shaz about what had happened in 1973, but the WPC couldn't get the image of DCI Hunt with a smoking gun, out of her head. The Guv had said he loved DI Drake. In her heart, Shaz was desperately hoping that this was true; she just wished she could get her head to believe that it had simply been a terrible accident.

"Before the Guv's interview, I told Collins what the Guv had told us about that tart, Jenette, and d' you know what 'e said? 'That pursuing that line of enquiry isn't a productive use of our time and resources.'" Ray's enthusiastic finger waggling would have impressed Alex. "And sorting lost property is? Christ!"

"It's as if Collins has got it in for the Guv for some reason. He wants him to be guilty," observed Shaz

"Yeah. It does look that way, doesn't it?" Chris agreed.

Ray decided to share something that had been bothering him. "I'm sure I've 'eard Collins' name for some reason. Y'know, before 'e came here."

The three officers thought about this.

"Bank statements!" Shaz exclaimed.

"What?" asked Chris and Ray simultaneously.

"Bank statements. Do you remember when we found out about Supermac? You told me that the Guv said that other people were involved too and that he'd got bank statements for four of them. I'm sure that 'Collins' was one of the names. I wonder if it's the same bloke?"

"I'll bet it is!" Ray was reluctantly impressed by Shaz's memory. "We need those statements. And something else.."

"What?" asked Chris

"I think we should try to find that Irish tart!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Firstly, many many apologies for the delay in updating. I found certain elements of this chapter slightly difficult to write. Please let me know if you think it works.**

**Secondly, thank you so much again for all the lovely reviews I'm getting for this story. I really, really do appreciate them.**

**Thirdly, a belated, but nonetheless heartfelt thanks to genesgeni* on Luigi's for reading all of the chapters for me. She's done a fantastic job in giving me the confidence to post this fic!**

**Finally, I do not own Ashes to Ashes. I'm just borrowing the characters!**

Gene had been locked up for more than twenty four hours. Even when he'd been arrested for the murder of Terry Haslam back in '73, he'd been allowed out on bail. However, he really couldn't see Phillips, his solicitor, singing 'Let My People Go', as his brief back in Manchester had done. Even if Phillips had, Gene knew that there was no way Collins would willingly have released him. There was something about Collins that was bothering Gene, aside from the fact that he was a jumped up ponce. It wasn't just that he'd met Collins before; the other DCI's name was familiar for another reason, but Gene couldn't quite place why.

Apart from the fact that the incarceration had meant that Gene could do nothing to help clear his name, it had also forced him to spend far more time just sitting and thinking than he was entirely comfortable with. Especially as those thoughts inevitably kept returning to one subject…_Bolly. _ He couldn't help dwelling on the events of the past few weeks. When Gene had discovered that there was a traitor in CID, it hadn't even occurred to him to suspect Drakey and she was the only person he wanted by his side when he unmasked Chris. He'd genuinely thought they did have some kind of connection; something he'd never felt with anyone else, even Tyler. Of course, Gene hadn't been in love with Sam. The bloody 'L' word again! Until recently, he'd been loathe to admit that the word-and the emotion that went with it-even existed; now it invaded his every thought. He was clearly going soft and the Manc Lion didn't do soft!

Everything had started to go horribly wrong, with the advent of Operation Rose, three days ago. Bearing in mind what had happened with Mac and then Chris, what the hell was Gene supposed to think when he heard that tape? Then for Alex to insist she was from the future! Gene had heard a lot of nonsense from Bolly in the time that he'd known her and recently he'd learned to just tune out most of it. He couldn't ignore the fact that his DI was claiming that she was from the future, though. She was nuttier than a whole bakery full of fruitcakes! Wasn't she? How had she known where the blag would go down, though? Gene had arrived at St Dunstan's just in time to hear that bent copper say that Bolly couldn't be corrupted. So, if she wasn't corrupt, then there was only one alternative. She _was_ from the future. But that wasn't possible. Was it? If he thought about this for much longer, Gene decided, he'd go insane himself!

xxxx

Finding Jenette Rivens had not been as difficult as Ray had anticipated. A little 'gentle persuasion' on a couple of snouts had got them an address. This was verified by Tiny, who was more than a little bit annoyed that his sister didn't seem to care that he'd been fighting for his life just two days ago. Ray decided that it wouldn't help to remind Tiny of the fact that he'd held a lit blow torch to Jenette's head on the day that he was arrested. Some families were really weird! Anyway, Tiny had nothing to lose; he would be going down for what he did to Rock Salmon Doyle. He obviously wanted his sister locked up too.

Ray was surprised that Jenette hadn't legged it. She probably knew that it would be difficult for them to pin anything on her. He was determined to try, though; the Guv's future might depend on it!

"You were there, weren't you?" Ray asked "At St Dunstan's? When Drake was shot."

"Was I? Can you prove that?"

"We 'ave the word of a senior police officer that you were." Ray decided not to name names.

"DCI Hunt, you mean? He would say that, wouldn't he? I heard on the radio that he's been arrested for shooting DI Drake. He'd try anything to get out of that!" Janette exclaimed.

"The Guv would not shoot DI Drake deliberately!" Chris burst out.

"Oh no?" queried Jenette "Are you sure about that? You've only got his word for it! No-one else was there, except Drake and she's probably not going to make it"

"You were there!" Ray insisted "You 'ad Drake at gunpoint for some reason. Something to do with Operation Rose. The Guv fired at you and Drake got 'it instead."

"Even if that were true, you can't bleedin' prove it, can you?" Jenette almost looked smug.

xxx

"So we 'ad to let 'er go. We 'aven't got anything on 'er that would stick." Chris was updating Shaz on the situation. "She's like that Teflon stuff!"

"We need a witness," said Ray. "Or Drake to wake up."

"What about Police 5?"Shaz suggested "Maybe they could do another one of them reconstruction thingies."

Ray shuddered, as he thought about the actor they'd used to play him in the Gil Hollis case. "I'm not Eddie bloody Yates! Or Jimmy Saville," he muttered as he picked up the phone to call the studio.

xxx

"…. and Chris and Ray got the bank statements out of the Guv's office. You'll never guess where the Guv keeps the spare key for his desk drawer, Ma'am. Taped to the bottom of his whisky bottle! He changes it over every time he starts a new one. "

Shaz was visiting the hospital again. She had no problems talking to the unconscious Alex. Chris and Ray had found it really difficult, but Shaz would do anything to help. "DCI Collins is using the Guv's office at the moment, so they had to get in there in the middle of the night. Chris was really brave! It was just like the time that you and the Guv sneaked into Superintendent Mackintosh's office. Do you remember? You told us all about it. Anyway, Ray's got the statements. One of them does belong to DCI Collins. He was doing alright out of it, while Mac was alive. No wonder he doesn't like the Guv!"

Shaz put her coat on "I've got to go back to work now Ma'am. Ray'll be along in a couple of hours though. Please wake up soon! We miss you. Even the Guv misses you. He said that…."

The WPC stopped herself. If DI Drake was going to hear that DCI Hunt loved her, it should be from the man himself. Shaz was pretty sure that Alex had had stronger feelings for the Guv than she'd admitted to. Shaz just hoped that it wasn't too late. "Bye, Ma'am. See you tomorrow!"

Almost as soon as Shaz had left the room, Alex's eyelashes fluttered and the fingers of her left hand curled slightly. As she began to regain consciousness, her whisper was barely audible.

"Gene…Molly."

**So what did you think? Please let me know.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Firstly, I apologise for the long delay again. Work got a bit hectic!**

**Secondly, a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I really do appreciate it!**

**Thirdly, a massive thank you to genesgeni* from Luigi's for reading it and getting it back to me so fast. **

**Fourthly, Merry Christmas!:) **

**I do not own Ashes to Ashes-I'm just borrowing the characters for a little while!**

"….Detective Inspector Alexandra Drake is the only female DI in the Metropolitan Police. In the early afternoon of last Friday, that's the 12th November, in the grounds of St Dunstan's Church on King Douglas Lane, south east London, DI Drake was shot, and seriously injured. She is currently in a coma in St Thomas' Hospital. It is not known when-or even if-she will regain consciousness. " Shaw Taylor intoned as the reconstruction played out.,

Everyone was gathered around the television in the CID office, watching Police 5. Ray noted that they were using the same actors as they had in the Gil Hollis case, but this time no-one in the office found it remotely amusing and, apart from the television, the room was completely silent. Persuading the Police 5 production team to broadcast the reconstruction so quickly had taken some work and Chris and Ray hadn't made it to the hospital for their usual visits. Ray was fairly certain that, had she been awake, Drake would have understood. He was less confident that DCI Collins would appreciate all their work. They had left several important items of lost property unsorted! Collins had not been seen all day, though. No-one knew where he was. Ray wondered if Collins was watching this.

"There is some confusion surrounding the circumstances of DI Drake's shooting". Shaw Taylor's voice-over continued. "A senior police officer has been arrested and questioned in connection with the incident. However, it is possible that another person was also at the scene and it was a tragic accident, rather than attempted murder. Were you in the King Douglas Lane area last Friday? Did you see a blonde woman running away from St Dunstan's Church? She may have been wearing a black leather jacket. If you can help the police with their enquiries, please contact Fenchurch East CID at the police station on Christopher Street. You can call in or telephone on 01 732 1981. Keep 'em peeled!"

xxx

Alex Drake was utterly disorientated. Her surroundings seemed to change every time she opened her eyes.

_Blink_….Molly's face looking down at her.

_Blink _…..Those hideous hospital curtains that could only mean that she was in the 1980s.

_Blink_……Molly's face again.

_Blink……._Those bloody curtains!

_Blink…….._Oh God, no! Not the curtains! Where was Molly?

Alex blinked rapidly several more times and managed to negotiate bringing her left hand up to her face to rub her eyes, but still those awful curtains remained stubbornly in place. Molly was gone.

"So you're back with us again, are you?" The cheerful nurse bustled around Alex's bed, checking her pulse and temperature. "We thought you'd woken up last night."

"What day is it?" Alex croaked

"Tuesday 16th November. Doctor Crawford will be pleased you're awake again… "

"What year is it?"

"1982, dear."

Alex had known what the nurse's answer would be. She really had. It didn't make it any less painful, though. She'd been with Molly, her darling daughter, in 2008! Hadn't she? What if that wasn't real?

"No!"

"Are you alright, dear?" The nurse looked concerned. "Should I fetch Doctor Crawford?"

"Sorry?" Alex hadn't realised she'd exclaimed out loud. "Oh. No, I'm okay. Don't worry."

The nurse didn't look convinced, but left Alex alone with her thoughts.

Alex tried to remember what had happened before she ended up in hospital. This had all started with Operation Rose. King Douglas Lane….Martin Summers…St Dunstan's Church…Gene….That blonde woman-Jenette?- holding a gun to her head….Gene shooting….The white light…Waking up in hospital in 2008…Molly…Gene…

Being with Molly in 2008 had felt so _real_ until Gene had appeared on the screens. He'd said Alex was in a coma in 1982. If that was true, then Alex couldn't possibly be with Molly. Her mind was playing cruel tricks on her. She really did not want to accept that. Suddenly Gene was everywhere. He was so angry! Alex had to get away. It didn't matter what she did, or where she went; Gene was there, on every screen, monitor, even in her mirror. All Alex could hear was him yelling at her. Then Alex found herself back in the twenty-first century hospital bed, with no clear idea of how she'd got there. Molly was looking down on her. Then Molly had disappeared and Alex was back here in 1982.

A tear escaped from under her eyelids. Even if that 2008 had not been real, it had truly felt as if she'd held Molly, hugged her. Here in 1982, Alex hadn't even seen Molly properly for months. She was desperate to see her daughter again. She had no idea how she was going to get back to Molly though. In the meantime she had no choice but to remain in Gene's world.

Gene. Alex's constant in this world. Or so she'd thought. In spite of all her psychological training, Alex couldn't sum up her relationship with DCI Hunt any more succinctly than Gene had himself: 'I thought we had a connection'. That was exactly how it had felt to Alex too; especially since she'd discovered that Gene had looked after her younger self on the day her parents died. It hadn't taken Alex long to admit, if only to herself, that she was physically attracted to her DCI. The fact that she was in love with him had come as a much bigger shock! Not that it mattered now. Operation Rose had probably severed that link forever. Gene obviously hated her; he believed she was corrupt and a liar. Alex had known that telling Gene that she was from the future would make her sound utterly insane, but she'd hoped that their connection would mean that he'd at least try to understand. Suspending her, and then shooting her, wasn't exactly the reaction that Alex had hoped for! She realised she was more upset that Gene hadn't trusted her than that he'd shot her. The more she'd gone over, in her mind, what had happened at St Dunstan's, the more convinced she'd become that the shooting was an accident. Alex tried to sum up her current situation. She was stuck here, separated from her daughter, with a man that she cared about, who did not even trust her. That was just great! Alex didn't try to stop the tears which were now running freely down her cheeks.

xxx

"Raymondo!"

"Alright, Guv?" asked Ray.

"What do you think?!" Gene's voice was thick with irritation.

"Sorry, Guv. " Ray apologised. "I 'aven't got long. Collins doesn't know I'm 'ere, but there's stuff you 'ave to know."

Gene's interest was piqued and he let Ray recount the events of the last few days. The DCI swore under his breath at the mention of Jenette and grimaced at the thought of the Police 5 reconstruction. It was only when Ray began to talk about the bank statements and Collins' connection to Supermac that Gene spoke:

"The slimy bastard!" he burst out. "So that's where I knew 'is name from. No wonder I'm still in 'ere!" Gene knew exactly what he was going to do with those statements if…_when…_he got out of this cell

"That's what we thought." agreed Ray.

"Did you 'appen to see anything else, while you were looking for the statements?" Gene asked.

"The Artemis file, you mean?" clarified Ray. "I saw it, yeah."

"And?"

"I didn't look in it. Collins could 'ave come back at any moment. We 'ad to be quick."

Gene was relieved about that, at least. The fewer people that knew what was in that particular file the better.

Ray glanced at his watch. He really should go.

"Raymondo?" Ray turned back to face his DCI as Gene spoke again "I'm only going to say this once, so make the most of it." Gene paused, as if what he had to say next was very difficult for him to articulate. "Thank you."

Ray was stunned. He'd been working with Gene for eighteen years and this was the first time he could remember the Guv thanking him for anything! Just as Ray was about to leave the cell, Viv appeared in the doorway.

"Alright, Skip. DS Carling's just leaving." Gene wasn't looking forward to being alone with his thoughts again.

"No, it's not that." Viv sounded slightly out of breath. "Thought you'd want to know…The hospital has just telephoned…"

The Manc Lion did not do nervous, so why was Gene's heart beating a little bit faster than normal while he waited for Viv to continue?

"DI Drake has woken up!"

**Please let me know what you think!**

.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Apologies again for the delay in updating. Work has been manic! I also had a slight case of writer's block on the last part of this chapter. Please let me know if you think it works.**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I really do appreciate it!**

**Thanks so much again to genesgeni* from Luigi's for reading the fic for me She does a fantastic job!**

**I don't own Ashes to Ashes-I'm just borrowing the characters for a while.**

Left alone in his cell, _again, _Gene did not know what to think or even feel. He was relieved, even happy, that Alex was awake and not going to die because of something he'd done. As he'd been forced to admit, these emotions stemmed from more than just the hope, if not certainty, that Alex could get him out of here.

Gene was more concerned about what Bolly might be thinking about him than he would ever admit to out loud. Most people believed that the Manc Lion didn't give a toss what anyone thought about him. Most people would usually be right! Bolly was different though. What she thought did matter to Gene. Especially now. Did she remember what had happened at St Dunstan's? Did she know that he hadn't intended to shoot her? Would she ever be able to forgive him for not trusting her? What should he do if…_when…_he got out of here? Should he go to the hospital? Would Bolly want to see him? What if she didn't? Christ on a bike! He really was going soft! Gene had to stop thinking like this. Or preferably stop thinking at all!

xxx

"DS Carling!" Viv called out to Ray, as he entered the station. Ray stopped in his tracks and went to see what the desk sergeant wanted. Viv was talking to a middle aged woman.

"This is Mrs Ferguson. She saw the _Police 5_ reconstruction. She thinks she witnessed what happened to DI Drake."

"Alright, love?" asked Ray "Come this way."

Ray was very pleased a witness had come forward. He had no doubt that Drake would state that the shooting had been an accident, but it couldn't hurt to have the testimony of someone who wasn't part of the team. After all, Collins wasn't going to release the Guv until he was forced to. DCI Collins had been furious about the reconstruction and had made his feelings on the subject very clear, but could do nothing, as the new Super, Featherstone, had been all in favour of it.

Collins happened to be in the corridor outside the interview room, as Ray and Chris approached with Mrs Ferguson.

"Who's this, Carling?" Collins asked.

"This is Mrs Ferguson, _sir_", Ray's use of the last word was very slightly sarcastic. "We think she was a witness to what happened to DI Drake."

To Ray and Chris' surprise, Collins did not say anything. They had both anticipated more shouting and swearing. The DCI, though, just walked off. However, Ray noticed that, for one brief second, Collins went even more pale than usual.

Mrs Ferguson was soon settled in the interview room, with a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits. The importance of this particular witness was clear; Shaz had brought out the Garibaldis and Pink Wafers especially. Mrs Ferguson began to recount what she'd seen.

"I was cleanin' one of the upstairs offices in Pharoah & Graham…"

"The television production company, that's just moved to King Douglas Lane?" asked Chris, consulting his notes. "We spoke to the security guard there and 'e said there was no-one else in the building. Everyone was going to start work this week."

"John? What does 'e know?!" Mrs Ferguson was scornful. " 'e's asleep most of the time!"

"Go on." Ray prompted.

"Just after I'd finished 'ooverin', I 'eard a loud bang….Sounded like a car backfirin' or somethin' like that…. Anyway I went to the window to 'ave a look. I saw a man was lyin' on the ground and another man - 'e was tall with fair 'air - 'ad a gun in 'is hand. It looked like a programme off the TV. You know? 'ill Street Blues. Somethin' like that. I thought they was actin'. I was just about to get back to me cleanin', when I 'eard two more bangs. Then I saw a woman like what Shaw Taylor told us about. You know? Blonde. Black jacket."

Ray and Chris nodded. Jenette had been placed at the scene. This was looking good for the Guv!

"She 'ad a gun. Anyway, she grabbed the woman with dark 'air. The one in the white jacket. The man with fair 'air pointed a gun at the woman in black. I couldn't 'ear what they said. They fired their guns, and the woman in the black leather jacket ran off. Then the woman with dark 'air fell to the ground…." Mrs Ferguson paused. "Think that's it…Does it 'elp?"

"Yes, thanks very much. Very 'elpful." Chris assured her and escorted her from the room.

Ray's face remained impassive, but inside he felt as though he'd scored the winning goal for Manchester City. He was Denis Law! Mrs Ferguson's statement, combined with what Ray hoped Drake was going to say, should be more than enough to get the Guv off. Ray didn't think he'd want to be in Collins' shoes when Gene got out of his cell!

xxx

Gene opened the double doors to CID with as much of a flourish as possible. As he entered the large room, everyone in it got to their feet and Gene received a standing ovation. Acknowledging their congratulations, Gene made his way to his own office. He had something very important to do.

DCI Collins was packing his belongings into a box as Gene entered the office.

"Hunt." Collins barely looked up as he packed up the last items.

"Collins." Gene was equally terse. He was trying very hard to resist the temptation to punch Collins. If Ray hadn't found that witness and Bolly hadn't stated that the shooting was an accident, then Gene could have been locked up for a very long time. As it was, four days in a cell had seemed like forever.

"I'll be going, then." Collins picked up his box.

"I think there's something you should see first." Gene closed the blinds and removed the bank statement from the inside pocket of his suit jacket, placing it on the desk between them. Collins glanced at it, did a huge double take and went deathly white and then bright red.

"Wh-where did you get that?" Collins stuttered.

"Doesn't matter. All you need to know is that I 'ave proof that you are a bent bastard!" Gene was beginning to enjoy this.

"Ah! Even if that were true, that evidence wouldn't stand up in court." Collins sounded a little more confident.

"It doesn't 'ave to. Just remember two things. One." Gene jabbed the desk with his forefinger "I'll be watching you. If you so much as put a _toenail_ out of place… And two," Gene's finger made contact with the desk again. "Bad things 'appen to corrupt coppers. Mac committed suicide 'cause 'e couldn't live with what 'e'd done and Carnegie got 'imself Quattroed! You wouldn't want anything like that to 'appen to you, now, would you?"

Gene realised that his little pep talk had served its purpose, when Collins' exit from his office would have impressed Roadrunner!

Sitting at his desk with his first cigarette and single malt in days, Gene surveyed his kingdom. Although It was good to be back, there was something missing. He glanced over at Bolly's empty desk. Gene knew what he had to do now.

**So, what did you think? Reviews are really appreciated! **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N So here is the next chapter. Apologies for the delay in updating again. Work has been insanely busy, but it should calm down now.**

**Thank you again to everyone who has reviewed/favourited. I really do appreciate it!**

**Huge thanks, as ever, to genesgeni* from Luigi's for reading this through for me.**

**Sadly, I don't own Ashes to Ashes! Or the BBC's Ashes to Ashes website.**

Gene strode out of the police station, his mind completely focussed on one objective: visiting Alex in the hospital. He needed to talk to her, to see for himself that she was really alive. It was exactly what any DCI would do for his DI in this situation, wasn't it? He had to admit, though, that most DCIs wouldn't have actually put their DI in hospital in the first place. He was both desperate to see her and absolutely dreading their first encounter. Not that he'd admit that to a living soul…The Gene Genie didn't do trepidation…

"Guv!" Viv caught up with Gene, just as he was about to leave the building.

"Yes, Skip?"

"The Super wants to see you in his office. He says it has to be now."

Amidst all the drama of Alex waking up and Collins' departure from the station, Gene had managed to put the inevitable meeting with Featherstone out of his mind. It looked as if it could not be postponed any longer, though. Great! Just, bloody great…The last thing Gene felt like doing was going over recent events again. Grunting an acknowledgement at Viv, Gene stomped off in the direction of the Detective Chief Superintendent's office.

xxx

"Ah, Hunt." Featherstone looked up from his paperwork as Gene entered the office. "Do come in. Close the door." That last sentence almost reminded Gene of Mac. Featherstone could not have been more different though. The new Superintendent was as straight as the proverbial die. He loathed anything to do with corruption in the police force and was determined to stamp on any that he found.

"I think you know why I've asked you to come to see me. " Featherstone tossed aside the papers he'd been examining. "Although DCI Collins informed me-before his rather hasty departure-that all criminal charges against you in respect to shooting DI Drake have been dropped, there will need to be an internal investigation. Unfortunately, a vital piece of evidence-the tape recording of your interview with DCI Collins-mysteriously disappeared before I was able to listen to it. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you, DCI Hunt?"

"No, sir." Gene honestly answered. He had a feeling that DS Carling knew exactly where it was, though. Or if he didn't, DC Skelton and WPC Granger certainly did. Gene respected their loyalty to him, but did that mean they knew what was on the tape? Did the whole bloody station know too? Gene decided not to dwell on that thought.

Featherstone looked pretty sceptical about Gene's denial. "For the purposes of the investigation, I need you to tell me-in your own words-exactly what happened. Start from the day before Operation Rose. The day you suspended your DI."

Christ on a bike! Talking about that day never got any easier. Still he had no choice. Gene took a deep breath and recounted all the events as accurately as he could. He did gloss over Bolly's claims that she was from the future though. He still hadn't decided what he thought about all that and, anyway, he didn't want the Super to think she was a nutty as a fruitcake. Gene was used to Alex's nuttiness but Featherstone could take a very different view.

"…Jenette 'ad DI Drake at gunpoint. I 'ad my gun aimed at Jenette. Then DI Drake moved…to try to get away from Jenette. Jenette fired 'er gun and I fired back. The first I knew that I'd 'it Drake was when she put 'er 'and to 'er gut and there was blood on 'er 'and."

"Thank you for being so candid, Gene." That was probably the first time that Featherstone had ever used the DCI's first name. "I see that we have a significant problem here. Not that you shot DI Drake. I accept that that was an accident-although you will probably need further firearms training to improve your aim under pressure. No, the problem we have is that you threatened to kill your DI-a serving police officer. The fact that you threatened Drake's life in front so many witnesses makes it even worse. As if you wanted her dead and you didn't care who knew…"

"But I was just so angry! I would never 'ave actually done it, though!" Gene was uncomfortably reminded of his interview with DCI Collins. "Well, not deliberately, anyway…"

"So you said. But where does that leave your professional relationship now? Assuming that Alex Drake wants to come back here, when she has recovered, would you be able to work together again? Or should I reassign her to another division? Or reassign you, for that matter?"

There it was. The threat that Gene had dreaded most, since he'd heard that Alex was not going to die. However insane her ramblings, he couldn't comprehend not seeing Bolly every day, not working closely with her on cases. He no longer cared if he was the world's biggest jessie for thinking like that. Not that he'd actually admit it in front of his team, but still…

"I'm sure that won't be necessary, sir." Gene forced himself to sound as calm as he possibly could. Would Bolly agree?

"I hope not. You and Drake have achieved some very impressive results." Featherstone conceded. He paused for so long that Gene wondered if the interview was over. "One last question, Hunt. What is the nature of your personal relationship with DI Drake?"

Gene was momentarily floored by that question. Bloody Collins! If Featherstone hadn't heard the tape then Collins must have blabbed. Gene collected himself.

"We're friends, sir. At least, we were before…what 'appened." Gene hoped that that would be enough.

"Nothing else? No more than friends?" Featherstone probed.

"I don't know what you've 'eard, sir. If Collins 'as said anything…"

At that moment, Gene was itching to either punch Collins or, preferably, hunt him down in the Quattro. He could very easily picture the scene in his mind and could almost hear the satisfying thud as Collins landed on the bonnet of the car…

"DCI Collins?" queried Featherstone. "I have no idea what you are talking about, Hunt. I merely asked, because of issues my predecessor wrote about in various reports. I wondered if those issues had any bearing on the matter in hand. " Featherstone shuffled some papers around on his desk.

Gene was more than a little bit surprised. So, _Mac _had known something, then? Well, that explained why he had had Alex arrested when he was trying to get to Gene. Gene had always just assumed it was because Mac didn't like his professional relationship with Bolly . If Mac had believed that there was more to Gene's feelings for his DI than professional respect, then who the hell else knew? Gene's mind returned to _that _question again. Had he really been that obvious?

"Ah! Here they are." Featherstone had extracted a small sheaf of papers and was reading through them. "Oh yes. Superintendent Mackintosh referred to a 'sexual tension' between you and DI Drake and also speculated that your relationship went far beyond that which is appropriate for a DCI and his DI. He recommended that you should be separated."

"Yeah. 'e tried to send me to bloody Plymouth!" Gene muttered. "Superintendent Mackintosh thought that DI Drake was 'trouble', sir," he explained and caught himself finger waggling. Drakey would have been so proud! "She's not as bent as a nine bob note like 'e was. She wouldn't play 'is games. Neither of us would. Mac didn't like that. 'e would 'ave done anything to discredit 'er. Us."

Gene didn't think it was possible for Featherstone to look any more sceptical than he had been, but apparently it was. Gene hadn't lied though. Mac _had_ always resented his connection with Bolly. Gene just hadn't told Featherstone what his feelings for his DI actually were. If Featherstone didn't have the tape, then he didn't need to tell him. Gene would only talk about emotions if he had absolutely no other choice. This wasn't the same situation as his interview with Collins; the other DCI had just said the same thing over and over again until Gene had snapped.

The Chief Superintendent interrupted Gene's reverie. "Look, Hunt, there will still need to be a formal internal investigation, but for the time being, what I'll do is this. I'll allocate a Discipline and Complaints officer to your department. He will keep an eye on how things are going and report back to me." Featherstone correctly interpreted the look on Gene's face and sighed. "I know you don't like it, Hunt, but the only other real alternative is demoting you back to DI and I have a feeling you'd like that even less! You may go."

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, and Hunt."

"Sir?"

"If I'm ever given cause to believe that Superintendent Mackintosh was correct in his assessment of your personal relationship with DI Drake, things will change in your department. Am I making myself crystal clear?"

Gene grimaced. "Yes, sir."

As he left Featherstone's office, Gene had to admit that that could have gone better! He wondered if Featherstone would insist that he take more firearms training. He was a bloody DCI, not some wet-behind-the-ears-snot-nosed-new-PC. His gun was as much a part of him as his Quattro! Gene felt really bad about having seriously injured Bolly, but in all his years as a copper, he had never, ever missed his shot in a situation like that before. If that wasn't enough, a Discipline and Complaints Officer was to be forced upon him; an interloper in the Manc Lion's Kingdom!

Gene tried not to dwell on Featherstone's last words, about his personal relationship with his DI. He had no idea whether Alex could forgive him for shooting her, let alone whether she'd want _that ._He decided he would just have to burn that bridge when…if… he came to it, wouldn't he? He left the station as quickly as he could. This time, nothing, not even a visit from Lord Scarman himself, would prevent Gene from getting to the hospital.

**I promise that Gene will make it to the hospital in the next chapter! On the BBC Ashes to Ashes website, the character profiles are 'written' by Supermac; the one for Alex Drake does refer to 'sexual tension' between her and Gene.**

**Anyway, please let me know what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Here is the penultimate chapter! I found part of this one really, really hard to write. Can you guess which part?**

******Thank you so much again for all the reviews.**

**A huge thank you, as ever, to genesgeni* for reading this through for me. The penultimate part of this chapter was inspired by something she said, so I dedicate that to her!:)**

**I do not own, nor have never owned, Ashes to Ashes! Now the filming has finished I never will!:(**

So here he was! Gene had finally made it to the hospital. He parked the Quattro, but didn't get out immediately. This was what he wanted, wasn't it? To see Alex? It had taken long enough to get here; arriving via a police cell and the Super's office, as he had. So why was he still sitting in the car? He should just stride in there like he owned the place. That's what everyone would expect him to do. That's what _Bolly_ would expect him to do. So that's what he would do!

xxx

Alex was nervous and confused. During her time in this world, Gene had provoked many emotions and reactions in her; anger, frustration, attraction, even love. Feeling nervous, because she would see him in the next few hours, was a new one, though. She was both desperate to see Gene and dreading his visit. Ray, Chris and Shaz had been keeping her updated on recent events; she knew all about Collins and the bank statements and everything else that had happened in CID in the past six days. However, when she asked how Gene was, she sensed that the other officers were keeping something from her. All any of them-even the usually talkative Shaz-would say was "fine". Alex wondered what they weren't telling her. Did Gene hate her? Was he still angry with her? Was he absolutely convinced she was corrupt, even after Operation Rose? Without him, her constant, what would happen to her here? Would she survive and get back to Molly? Whatever her feelings for Gene, returning to 2008-the real 2008- had to be her top priority. She must not allow herself to forget that.

To add to her confusion, she was still hurt that Gene hadn't trusted her, or believed her when she'd told him the truth about where she came from. Objectively-and in her professional life, Alex always tried to be objective-it was hardly a surprise that Gene had assumed she was lying to him, when she claimed she was from the future. It was, though, very difficult for her to remain objective where Gene Hunt was concerned… Alex began to feel drowsy as the pain medication kicked in again.

xxx

Alex was asleep when Gene entered her room. For a brief moment he considered just leaving again. He'd seen that she was alright-or at least better than when he'd last been able to visit. Alex stirred in her sleep and winced and murmured as she accidentally turned on to her wounded side. The enormity of what Gene had done hit him again then. The guilt was easily as effective as one of Bolly's own slaps or punches…and he'd been on the receiving end of a few of those! It was his fault she was here and in pain. Gene couldn't just bugger off and leave without speaking to her first.

"Gene?" Alex's voice was barely above a whisper. The pain must have woken her up.

"Yes, Alex". Gene's voice sounded much calmer than he actually felt. He didn't know if she wanted him to help her as she awkwardly pulled herself up into a sitting position. He reached out, but was too late to do anything meaningful

"So you're here, then." Nothing like stating the obvious, Alex! And why hadn't Gene called her Bolly? Or Bolls? Was him calling her by her proper name a good thing, or not?

Gene drew in what was probably the deepest breath he'd ever taken. He couldn't look Alex in the eye. "I'm….sorry I shot you."

An apology from the Manc Lion! One that didn't mention a West Indian cricketer and actually featured the word 'sorry'! Alex was really quite surprised. Apparently, it was quite the week for the Gene Genie to behave unpredictably. Chris and Shaz had told her all about the Guv thanking Ray.

"I know you didn't do it deliberately, Gene." Alex said quietly. She wondered if it would have been easier if he had intended to seriously injure her. She could simply have been angry with him, hated him, even, without all of the other feelings, which complicated matters.

Gene had no idea what to say next. What could he say that wouldn't make him sound like a complete bloody jessie? He didn't know if he should bring up what Bolly had said about being from the future. Or the things on that tape. Over the last six days, he'd gone over everything in his mind so often, that he thought he'd go insane, but even that didn't help. He was still as confused as hell about the whole thing. Until Alex had entered his life, Gene had never really felt baffled. Now it was an almost permanent state of mind where she was concerned. It would be so much easier if she was angry with him; even shouting at each other like they used to when Bolly first arrived in CID would be better than this awkward silence. Why didn't she say something? He didn't think she'd ever actually been quiet for as long as this. Before…what happened, she'd have been squawking away like a parrot hooked on speed!

Was that it? Alex wondered if Gene was going to say anything about what had happened before they ended up at St Dunstan's. Was he sorry that he had shot her, but still didn't believe her or trust her?

Gene decided that he had to say _something_. "I saw Featherstone, earlier. 'e's assigning a Discipline and Complaints officer to us and wants to send me for more firearms training!"

Alex felt sick. So that _was_ it, then. The connection, or whatever it was they'd had before Operation Rose, obviously didn't matter to Gene now. He'd been showing his true feelings on those screens in '2008'. It was all about himself and the job. Alex didn't know how long she would be stuck in this place for, but at that moment she made a decision. She would simply exist, do her job and limit her interaction with Gene and everyone else around her, until she could find a way back to Molly.

"I'm so tired, Gene. I really would like to go back to sleep now." Alex lay down in the hospital bed and all but turned her back on her DCI.

xxx

As he left the hospital, Gene was more than a little bit frustrated. What the hell had gone wrong there? It was as if Bolly could hardly bear to be in the same room as him. He'd apologised for shooting her! What more did she want? He suddenly had the uncomfortable feeling that he hadn't said something that she'd wanted to hear.

Gene's police radio crackled into life. "Guv? Are you there?"

"Yes, Skip."

"Inspector Jim Keats is waiting for you in your office. And there's a memo on your desk. I think it's from Superintendent Featherstone."

"Oh bloody joy!"Gene revved the Quattro's engine and screeched out of the hospital car park.

xxx

Four days after Gene had visited Alex at the hospital; here he was sitting in another car-park. When he'd arrived back at the station, last Thursday, he'd been greeted by Jim Keats, the Discipline and Complaints Officer that Featherstone had saddled him with. Keats was a young upstart who was even more of a by-the-book-picky-pain than Tyler had been in the beginning. Gene hadn't thought that _that_ was possible!

Then there was the memo. Viv had guessed correctly; it was from Featherstone. It informed Gene that an appointment had been made for him at the Met's Firearms Training Centre, for this afternoon. If there could be anything worse than having to subject himself to more training, it was finding out the identity of the instructor. Gene knew Butt from his Manchester days and he really didn't like him. Butt had a superiority complex the size of Cheshire and was sarcastic with it. Gene could just hear Sam's voice in his head, laughing at him. "Nothing like you at all then..." At times like this, he could almost admit that he missed Tyler.

Gene had not been back to the hospital to see Alex, since that first visit. There didn't seem to be much point. She had made it perfectly clear then that she didn't want to see him.

Unfortunately, Butt had not had a personality transplant in the years since Gene had last seen him. The two officers met on the practice firing range.

"Now, Hunt." Butt's smile was almost wolfish. "I want you to take out all three of the targets. You should hit them either in the head or heart. Shooting them in the gut would be pointless. They aren't your DI. They won't end up in a coma!"

Gene was seething. He wondered what Butt would do if he pointed the gun at him. Was he wearing a bullet-proof vest? Realistically, Gene knew that shooting the firearms instructor would not help him keep his job! So he took his frustration out on the firing range.

As Gene lined up the first shot, his mind's eye saw Jenette Rivens instead of the target. _Bang. _The bullet went through the target's head. Gene doubted he'd ever have another opportunity to shoot Jenette, but at least she'd been apprehended and arrested while trying to flee to Dublin.

_Bang._ The next target was 'Collins'. Again, the bullet went exactly where he intended; the top half of the head.

_Bang. _The third and final target 'Butt' had a hole blown through its heart.

Gene felt much better after that and it didn't matter what Butt threw at him; moving targets, loud noises or other distractions, his aim was always spot on.

**xxx**

Gene arrived back at the station to find Ray, Chris and Shaz gathered around Viv at the front desk. The four officers looked at each other. Who was going to speak first?

"Guv, I've just got back from the hospital." Shaz decided to break the silence. "DI Drake says she's going to discharge herself tomorrow morning!"

**A/N I have no idea what firearms training would have been like in the 1980s.I did try to research it, but couldn't find much. So I made it up!I hope it reads reasonably plausibly.**

**Please let me know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N So here is the final chapter! Apologies-as ever-for taking so long to update.**

**Thank you so much again to everyone who has reviewed/favourited or added Interrogation to their alerts. I have been amazed and delighted by the response that it has had!**

**Another huge thank you must also go to genesgeni* on Luigi's for checking the whole story through for me! :) **

"So 'ow long's it been now?" asked Ray. He was sitting at his desk, with his feet up.

"About two days longer than when you last asked, Ray!" Shaz responded, glancing at the calendar on her desk. "Just over a month since she came back to work."

"And she 'asn't said above two words to any of us in all that time. Why did she bloody bother to come back at all?" Ray grumbled.

"Dunno, mate," answered Chris.

"I can understand 'er not being too 'appy with the Guv -'im 'aving shot 'er and all! But what 'ave the rest of us done?"

Shaz considered the events of the last couple of months. After Alex had discharged herself from hospital, the Super wouldn't let her return to work for at least another month. Shaz had popped in to see Alex every day to make sure she had some company. DI Drake, though, had barely even acknowledged Shaz was there. The WPC hoped that it would get better when Alex returned to work, just after Christmas. It hadn't. Now, at the beginning of February, it didn't look like things were going to improve any time soon.

"Never thought I'd say this," Ray observed. "But I liked it better when Drake first arrived and she and the Guv were rowing all the bloody time! Even that was better than this."

"Yeah, that's true, "agreed Chris. "You could be sure that Ma'am would be shouting at the Guv at least once a week, if not once a day!"

xxx

Later that afternoon, the current situation was still preying on Shaz's mind. She suspected that whatever it was that had gone so wrong had happened while DI Drake was in hospital. She had been fine when Shaz visited on the day that DCI Hunt had been due to put in an appearance. When Shaz saw Alex the following day, though, the DI had been quiet and reserved. Three days later, Alex discharged herself from hospital.

Shaz could only guess what had happened between DCI Hunt and DI Drake when he visited her in hospital. It obviously hadn't gone well. She knew that the Guv was terminally incapable of talking about his feelings and wondered what he'd said that had upset their DI. Perhaps he just hadn't said enough. Assuming, of course, that he had said anything at all.

Shaz opened her desk drawer and gazed at the small rectangular object which lay on top of a pile of papers. Should she do it? She had been thinking about it for quite some time, but Chris had always cautioned her against acting on impulse. He believed that it would only make matters worse. Shaz, though, had other ideas and wasn't sure that the situation could get any worse than this. If she was going to put her plan into action, she would have to do it now, though. Taking the object out of her drawer, she placed it on DI Drake's desk.

xxx

The occupants of the Quattro were completely silent as the car sped back towards Fenchurch East. Gene had never thought that he would be concerned about his DI's silence. He used to crave peace and quiet. This, though, was about as unnatural as a page 3 girl's assets. He found himself almost longing for the days when Bolly would spend most of the time arguing with him. Even that would be better than this...whatever this was. He had the uncomfortable feeling that he was responsible for Alex's current silence, but he had absolutely no idea what to do about it. Even if he knew what to say, he had probably left it much too late. His hands tightened on the steering wheel.

Gene had all but broken Alex's door down on the day she discharged herself from hospital. She'd made it more than clear that she didn't want to see him, though. She just sat on her sofa, staring straight ahead; not meeting his eyes and waiting for him to leave. Gene didn't know how to react to this. He just couldn't say what was uppermost in his mind; that he cared about her, that everyone was concerned about her. So he'd left, without saying anything at all.

Alex was lost in her own thoughts. She couldn't help going over the last couple of months in her mind. She'd discharged herself from hospital in November because she wanted to get as far away from Fenchurch East and all it represented as was humanly possible. The surgeon had insisted though, that she should have someone visit her at least once a day. It only occurred to Alex, as she was signing the discharge papers that she had nowhere to go, apart from the flat above Luigi's. She couldn't inflict her presence upon Evan and her younger self. That would just be too weird! She'd liked Jackie Queen enormously, but Alex didn't feel she knew her well enough to land on her doorstop up in Manchester and, besides, Jackie had baby Jeannie to keep her occupied. The only other people Alex knew in this world were the very individuals she was trying to escape from. So she had gone back to her flat and had as little to do with anyone-even Luigi- as she could. Perhaps she had made a mistake before Operation Rose. Maybe she couldn't get home because she had become too involved in the lives of the people around her. She had let them-especially Gene-affect her too much. She had become distracted and lost what should have been her focus: Molly and 2008. However, in spite of her renewed determination to get home, she still hadn't seen her daughter or received any messages from 2008 since her release from hospital. Alex had no idea if she was even still alive in the other world. What if seeing Molly when she had apparently been in a coma in both 1982 and 2008, had been a way for her to say goodbye?

xxx

It was beer o'clock. The members of CID trouped out of the large office leaving Alex and Gene at their respective desks. Since Alex had returned to work, neither of them had joined the rest of the team at Luigi's. Alex began to gather her things together. She glanced over at Gene who was apparently deeply engrossed in examining his single malt. Alex sighed and pulled on her leather jacket. It was then that she noticed an object on her desk, which certainly hadn't been there earlier. It was a cassette tape. Why would anyone leave something like that for her ? Picking it up, she noticed that her name was written on the index card inside the box. Curiosity got the better of her and she slipped it into her jacket pocket before heading to her flat.

xxx

Half an hour later and Alex had poured a glass of wine, before retrieving the cassette. She put it into her tape recorder, pressed play, and settled on the sofa.

"Interview with attempted murder suspect, DCI Gene Hunt. Present DCI Collins and DS Willis".

So _that's _what it was. She couldn't deny that she was curious about what had happened in that particular interview; but who had left it for her and why did they want her to hear it?

"I'm not in the 'abit of murdering my DIs. It was an accident!" Gene's voice on the tape cut across her thoughts. Alex had to acknowledge the truth of that. She'd said as much in her statement.

Alex continued to listen as Gene talked about Jenette and Collins denied she even existed. Alex almost found herself feeling sorry for Gene as Collins continued to interrogate him; just repeating the same thing over and over again. Almost, but not quite. The longer that she listened to the tape, the more difficult it was for Alex to remember why she was still upset with Gene, though. _He didn't trust you. He doesn't care about you_, she repeated over and over in her head as the tape played on.

"We're a team. I just didn't believe 'er when I should 'ave." So Gene hadn't completely lost faith in her? _That _was what Alex had wanted to hear all those months ago when Gene had visited her in the hospital. Why hadn't he said anything then? She realised that Gene's words had affected her when her hand shook slightly as she refilled her wine glass. She listened to him becoming angrier and angrier.

"Why not? Why wouldn't you try to kill her?" Collins shouted.

"Because I bloody love 'er!" Gene yelled.

Alex was so shocked that she didn't notice that she'd dropped her glass. The red wine stain spread out across the rug.

xxx

Gene sat alone in his office, a cigarette in one hand and a tumbler of single malt in the other. He didn't know how much longer the current situation between him and Alex could go on for. They had just about managed to convince Keats that they could work together, but it had been a close run thing. Gene had no idea why Alex didn't put in for a transfer if she hated working here, with him, that much.

Gene's train of thought was interrupted by the door being thrown open. He glanced up and then looked back down at his desk again.

"Do come in, Drake!' He didn't call her Bolly at all any more. It seemed too personal given their current relationship, or lack thereof.

Alex didn't immediately speak. Her silence made Gene look up at her again. He noticed that she looked different somehow. She had some colour in her cheeks and she seemed slightly out of breath. Gene cursed himself for noticing such things and for being relieved that she looked better than she had for months.

"Yes?" Gene almost barked as Alex's silence continued.

Alex found her voice. "Is it true? Did you mean it?"

"Is what true? I'm not bloody telepathic, woman!"

"What you said…" Alex held up the tape.

It took Gene a second to register what Alex was holding out to him. Was that what he thought it was? The one thing that he'd most fervently hoped would never, ever see the light of day again? And Alex had listened to it? Christ on a bike! If he ever discovered who had given it to her…He stood up and took the tape from her.

"Where the 'ell did you get that?"

"It was on my desk." Alex leant forward, with both hands on Gene's desk. As she repeated her question, her face was mere millimetres from Gene's. "Did you mean what you said?"

Gene found himself stalling. "What did I say?" Maybe she hadn't listened to the whole recording.

"That you…love me. Did you mean it? Do you still…"

Bugger! Alex _had_ heard everything. Gene wondered how he was supposed to answer that. He could-and probably should-say that he hadn't been serious. That he was just trying to get off the attempted murder charge. There were so many reasons why he should deny everything. Featherstone's veiled threat about splitting up the team was the main one. Even without that, though, Alex would probably just laugh at him if he told her the truth. She'd barely even spoken to him for months! Where was a well-timed interruption from Shaz, when he needed one? At that moment, Gene didn't feel like a lion-Manc or otherwise.

"Yes." Gene's quiet, almost whispered, confession sounded like a shout in his head. He had no idea what had just happened. Where had _that _come from? Hadn't he been about to deny that he loved her? Shit! Gene suddenly found the whisky shot-glass on his desk absolutely fascinating as he braced himself for the inevitable slap, punch, or hysterical laughter. When nothing happened, he looked up at Alex again. She was actually smiling.

"Well, that's good," she said. "Because I bloody love you too!"

**The End**

**Please let me know what you think.**


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